Guacamole - A Mexican Avocado Dip

Guacamole with crunchy Pita chips

Guacamole is a dip sauce made out of Avocado, a fruit native to central Mexico. It is one of my favorite go-to Mexican recipes. Mole is sauce in Mexican and hence Guacamole. Avocados get a bad reputation owing to the high-calorie content of the fruit pulp. The origin of Guacamole can be traced back to the times when Aztecs lived in Mexico, making it a food of choice owing to the 'good fats' found in bulk in this fruit. The healthy unsaturated fat in Avocado is a great energy booster and is a healthy substitute for spreads on toasted bread, warm tortillas, rotis and dips instead of  good old butter. Traditionally, the entire dip is mushed and mixed in a Molcajete, a traditional Mexican tool carved out of a single basalt lava rock. Avocados grow in plenty in California and are part of many dishes hailing from that region.

Halved Avocados with the pit

After coming to US, I found there are dozen different varieties of Avocados. The one I've used here is called Hass Avocados and grows in abundance in California. The pulp of this Avocado optimally suits the mole requirement. Its got a blackish green skin and has a firm to soft texture depending on the ripeness. It is the tiny baby among the different varieties of Avocado family. The Guacamole serves apt for dips aimed for quick entertaining. The flip side of using them is they oxidize very fast and have to be quickly mixed in before serving. A splash of lime juice prevents them from quick oxidation. I like to enjoy them with crunchy Pita Chips or multi-colored Corn Chips.

~ Guacamole ~
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Processing Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
Avocado pulp (scored and pulp scooped) - 1 and 1/2 cup
Red Onion (finely chopped) - 1/4 cup
Red Tomatoes (cored and finely chopped) - 1/4 cup
Green Chillies (thinly sliced) - 1
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Lime juice - 4 tbsp
Toasted Cumin powder - 1/3 tsp
Salt

Method:

In a pestle and mortar, crush the red onion, tomatoes, green chillies lightly along with salt and 1 tbsp of lime juice. Set aside. 

Just before serving, halve the Avocado. Score it with knife to form horizontal and then vertical incisions to form a criss-cross web. Take a large tablespoon and scoop out the pulp of the fruit. Add to the previously mixed ingredients. Add a dash of toasted cumin powder and the reserved lime juice and give a good mix with the back of a pestle. This will even out the chunks to form a gloppy paste. Leave a few chunks in the mix to add texture. Adjust salt and spice as per taste. Serve with crunchy Pita Chips.

Note: Add lime juice to the Avocados once you add them to the mixing bowl to prevent the pieces from getting oxidised.